The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Even though he was reliant on his nephew, Li Lin didn't think there was anything shameful about it.

  Rather, it was an honor that such a talented youth had emerged from their clan. After living in humility for the past few decades, his time had finally come!

  "Uncle, you need not worry, this is just the start. Wait until we capture King Sosurim, that will then be a truly great merit. With that, you won't have to worry about a lack of promotion anymore!" Wang Chong chuckled as he stood alongside his uncle. In the period of time they hadn't met, he realized that his uncle had changed once again.

  His stature had grown more upright, and he looked like a spear erected on the spot. He was also filled with drive and spirit, and it seemed like nothing was impossible for him.

  Without a doubt, uncle's cultivation had improved greatly during this period of time. It was good that the cultivation technique Wang Chong gave him had worked its wonders, and he hadn't wasted his effort.

  Wang Chong felt comforted inside.

  He hadn't introduced Zhao Fengchen to Uncle Li Lin just for his Uncle to remain under Zhao Fengchen's shadow for his entire life. Rather, Zhao Fengchen should be a means to his Uncle’s ends.

  His greatest goal was for Uncle Li Lin to become an independent and powerful force in the Imperial Army, not a follower of anyone else.

  "Uncle, you should take these five chests of Goguryeon ginseng with you. Also, I'll send some pills to you soon." Wang Chong spoke up suddenly as a thought occurred to him.

  "Haha, are you afraid that my cultivation is lacking?" Li Lin turned around and chuckled.

  "Hehe. Uncle, are you afraid of gaining too much influence? If I recall correctly, the Imperial Army is split into several factions. In such an environment, it would be beneficial to be stronger than the others. Besides, the ranks in the Imperial Army are tied to one's cultivation, right? In any case, there's surely no mistake in raising your cultivation, "Wang Chong replied.

  Five chests should contain more than three thousand Goguryeon ginseng. It was more than sufficient for Uncle Li Lin's cultivation.

  On the other hand, Uncle Li Lin fell into deep contemplation.

  Honestly, his initial thoughts were to reject Wang Chong's offer. He was already content with the merits he had earned from this operation, and since the ginseng was going to their clan anyway, there was no need for him to fight over it.

  However, after hearing Wang Chong's words, he couldn't help but rethink his perspective.

  His nephew's words were spot-on. The factional rivalry in the Imperial Army was much more intense than outsiders could ever imagine. Just by following behind Zhao Fengchen for a short period of time, he could already feel that he was being rejected by the other factions.

  In the Imperial Army, everything was dictated by strength. The strongest fist would gain the greatest respect and loudest voice.

  "Alright, then!" Uncle Li Lin eventually nodded.

  Wang Chong chuckled in response.

  "Report! Lords, we've finished sweeping through the battlefields!" an Imperial Army guard rushed over and bowed respectfully before the duo at that moment.

  "Good. You can leave now." Uncle Li Lin waved his hands, gesturing for the Imperial soldier to back down. After which, he turned to Wang Chong with a sharp glint in his eyes.

  "Chong-er, now that the battle is over, what is your next course of action?"

  "Hehe, you didn't alarm the final base, did you?" Wang Chong asked.

  "Of course not!" Li Lin smiled in response.

  "Good. Let's withdraw our forces then!"

  ---

  After sending Uncle Li Lin off with his gaze, Wang Chong turned around and returned to the Royal Jade Pavilion. At such a moment, the advantages of possessing a place of his own were shining through.

  The other shops of the capital didn't open at night, and the Wang Clan was too conspicuous. By taking the Royal Jade Pavilion as his base of operations, it was more convenient, and he could avoid unwanted attention as well.

  Even if others were to see him visiting the pavilion often, they would only think that he relished the dishes here. It was hard to imagine that he would buy down the whole place.

  What was even harder to imagine was that he would actually arrange for Ma Yinlong, Old Eagle, Steel Arms, and Solitary Wolf to be stationed here.

  "How is it?" As soon as Wang Chong stepped to the second floor of the pavilion, the group of four immediately turned their gazes to him and asked him hurriedly.

  Wang Chong made an “'OK” sign, only to meet with the doubtful gazes of the four. Only after a moment of confusion did he realize that the four didn't understand his gesture.

  "It's done." Wang Chong smiled. It would take a miracle for them to fail after mobilizing so many elites and experts of the Imperial Army, as well as the authority of King Song.

  Hu!

  After hearing Wang Chong's words, the four of them heaved a collective sigh of relief. Their hearts finally fell back into their chests.

  "Wang gongzi, please pardon us for not participating in the operation tonight. We are familiar faces to King Sosurim, so we might alert him were we to appear on any of the battlefields. The same goes for Old Eagle's eagles, as well. It wouldn't be good if our existences were to be revealed to him too early on.

  "If King Sosurim were to notice our involvement in the operation tonight, the nature of the event would change. Perhaps, he might even cancel the whole operation," Ma Yinlong quickly explained, suddenly realizing something.

  "Don't worry, I understand," Wang Chong chuckled casually as he waved his hands to show that he thought nothing of it. As the saying went, “doubt not the man you use, use not the man you doubt”. Since Wang Chong decided to put his trust into Ma Yinlong and the others, how could he doubt their intentions?

  Seeing Wang Chong's magnanimous gestures, the group of four were a little impressed. This gongzi might be young, but he possessed maturity far beyond his age. A scion he might be, but he didn't possess the aura of decadence that usually came with one.

  Fifteen years had passed, but they might really be able to capture King Sosurim this time!

  "Elders, what do you think we should do next?" Seated cross-legged opposite to the group, Wang Chong humbly asked for their guidance.

  "Gongzi, your men didn't touch the last base, right?"

  "They didn't."

  "Good. The main goal of our operation is that base. If we were to overthrow all of their bases at once, the Goguryeons would surely suspect that we knew of all of their movements. On the other hand, if we were only to attack some of them, they might still bank their hopes on luck. In fact, the more bases we destroy, the stronger this thought becomes."

  "We understand King Sosurim's mentality. He's an incredibly arrogant person, so arrogant that he wouldn't change a plan that he has decided upon easily. No matter how huge the sacrifice may be, he would go along with it as long as he can see success at the end of the route.

  "The greatest advantage we have at hand is that he's in the open, while we are in the dark. You are a new player in this game, so no matter how many men you have killed and how many Goguryeon bases you have destroyed, King Sosurim still doesn't know you. Thus, he can't possibly imagine that we are standing behind your back. This is our greatest weapon against him," Ma Yinlong spoke grimly.

  "Wait a moment," Wang Chong suddenly interjected. "Elder, didn't you just say that King Sosurim doesn't know me? Hehe, an idea suddenly came to my mind."

  Following which, Wang Chong revealed the idea he had.

  "Hahaha, that works fine as well. Since you're going to do it, do it big. The more forceful you shake the tree, the more unfathomable you will appear to King Sosurim. He might even underestimate you. Wang gongzi, let's do as you have planned," Ma Yinlong chuckled after hearing Wang Chong's intentions. If they were to cooperate with Wang Chong on his plan, there would be a greater chance of success in the final operation.

  "So, it'll be up to you next, Old Eagle."


  "Un," Old Eagle nodded his head grimly.

  So many years had passed, it was about time to exact vengeance for their fallen brothers.

  Chapter 255: Plotting in the Middle of the Night

  Chapter 255: Plotting in the Middle of the Night

  Hong long!

  When news of more than a dozen of Goguryeon bases being destroyed spread out, a huge uproar was incited in the capital.

  It was no secret that there were spies from the other countries in Great Tang, but never had there been a power who established such a huge spy network in their country like the Goguryeon empire.

  Especially when the corpses came into public view, an even larger uproar broke out.

  An army of five to six hundred soldiers—this was already at the scale of a small rebellion’s army.

  Furthermore, based on the news from the royal court, the bases they had established had more than a dozen years of history behind them. It was unimaginable how much destruction they had caused with these bases of operation. In fact, the night assault at Kunwu Training Camp was likely to be their handiwork, as well!

  The large sabers these Goguryeon soldiers were equipped with proved the greatest evidence of their identities. It solidified the rumors of the vile plans the Goguryeon warriors had in the capital.

  The Imperial Army was mobilized to comb through the capital to capture those who had managed to escape from their net that night. This was especially so for the city's west, where most of the Goguryeons lived. A huge army was dispatched to search the entire area thoroughly.

  Against the rage of the citizens, the usually ferocious Goguryeons chose to keep a low profile and cooperated docilely with the army. Time and time again, they assured the authorities that they were proper merchants, and they were very different from assassins and warriors who caused destruction in the capital.

  Within a single day, a huge number of Goguryeons were captured. Oddly enough, the merchants from the Western Regions and the other nations chose to maintain silence.

  They had also noticed that the nature of this incident was very different from those that had happened before. Destruction and assassination, this wasn't the scope of work a proper merchant should be involved in. Not to mention, a nation's security had been severely breached.

  The usual protests they had used couldn't and shouldn't be applied to this event.

  As the matter regarding the Goguryeons created a huge storm throughout the capital, more and more details of the clean-up were being revealed. Rumor had it that the one in charge of that operation yesterday night was an Imperial Army commander known as Li Lin.

  Due to this matter, he was complimented in the Imperial Army and was even promoted to a grade-5 Dragonfang Commander. However, the person who broke into the network of Goguryeon spies within the capital was a name which the citizens couldn't be any more familiar with: Wang Chong!

  It was him who found some clues from the Kunwu night assault and tracked down the Goguryeon's hiding spot and bases. Eventually, he brought in the Imperial Army to clear them out.

  It could be said that Wang Chong was the true meritorious subject behind the veil!

  ---

  "Bastard!"

  At the gathering point on an unknown mountain beyond the walls of the capital, an austere figure smashed his fist into a table as a fearsome aura flowed out from him.

  Six trembling figures kneeled before him in fear.

  "Such a huge operation, and you all didn't notice a single thing beforehand?"

  There wasn't any light in the room. That austere figure leaned forward slightly, and a cold gleam could be seen in his eyes even in the deep darkness. The powerful pressure that he exerted would leave anyone trembling in fear.

  "Reporting to Your Highness, their operation was very abrupt and there wasn't any news beforehand. Furthermore, they mobilized the Imperial Army for the operation and attacked all of the bases simultaneously in the middle of the night, when our brothers were laxest. As such, we didn't have any time to make any countermeasures and escape!"

  "The person who planned the operation is a formidable strategist. He made sure to seal every single possible path of escape," one of the black-robed assassin kneeling on the floor reported.

  There was only a person who could be addressed as “Your Highness” by the Goguryeons outside the Goguryeon empire. Without a doubt, the austere man in the room was the chief spy in Great Tang, “King Sosurim”!

  "Our base couldn't possibly be exposed that easily. Did anyone find any signs of involvement from the Fang of the White Tiger?" King Sosurim uttered coldly in the darkness. A chilly aura seemed to cover the entire room.

  Having more than a dozen bases destroyed in a single night, this was truly disastrous.

  His first thought was that perhaps the experts from the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments had been involved in the operation. Only those old foes could possess such an in-depth understanding of their operations.

  "None at all. When the incident happened, our men investigated the surroundings and they saw no hints of the Fang of the White Tiger or his peers," another Goguryeon assassin reported.

  Even though more than a dozen bases were destroyed overnight, they still had men scattered throughout the city.

  However, it was indeed true that the bulk of their manpower was stationed in those bases.

  When the matter happened, most of the bases were set ablaze, so it was impossible for the others located throughout the city to be unaware of the matter. Even though they dared not approach the scene, they still scouted the area from afar.

  As such, they managed to gather significant intelligence on the operation yesterday night.

  "Could this really be just a coincidence?" King Sosurim narrowed his eyes and different emotions flickered across his face. However, his actions seemed to induce even more fear in the Goguryeon assassins as they lowered their heads even lower.

  "Even though we can't confirm the matter, based on the news we have received, it is likely that this is just a coincidence. Also, we have some results regarding the matter which Your Highness had us look into previously," the third Goguryeon spy said as he took out a book from his chest and passed it forward respectfully.

  Each of the Goguryeons stationed in the capital had their own scope of responsibility, and his was clearly intelligence.

  The entire room was silent. King Sosurim paused for three seconds before grabbing the scroll from the Goguryeon assassin's hands, and upon the very first glance, his expression immediately warped slightly in astonishment. He continued spinning through the pages silently as he read on.

  "Your Highness, we have gathered some information on that Wang Chong from last night. He's the grandson of Great Tang's Duke Jiu, and the Imperial Army commander behind yesterday's operation is his uncle, Li Lin. The both of them share an intimate relationship.

  "He might be young, but he isn't a person we can underestimate. Be it the Consort Taizhen incident or the regional commanders incident, there are signs of his involvement behind them. In fact, the head of the Yao Clan, Yao Chong, even lowered his head to his nemesis, Wang Jiu Ling, due to him."

  "From the looks of it, this young man possesses extraordinary capabilities. He isn't like the typical scions in the capital. On top of that, he also has an intimate relationship with Great Tang's King Song, and he has been seen entering the King Song Residence on many occasions. Without a doubt, the Imperial Army from the royal court yesterday night was mobilized using King Song's influence."

  "Otherwise, given his uncle's standing, it is impossible for him to be given command over such a large group of Imperial soldiers. Also, our men found traces of him at the site of the operations. However, due to the presence of several experts around him, we didn't dare to move recklessly.

  "More importantly... we also found his records at Kunwu Training Camp—he is a recruit at White Tiger Peak, where our troops were first defeated!" At this point, the third assassin suddenl
y paused before continuing on grimly.

  "Also, by interrogating some of the recruits in Kunwu Training Camp, we confirmed that he had led a group of men to the other peaks to offer support!"

  Deep killing intent emanated from the words of the assassin. At the same instant, the killing intents of the other five men also flared up.

  There was no doubt about the situation anymore. Even though the eradication of over a dozen of their bases over the course of a single night sounded inconceivable, given the history of that Wang Chong, it wasn't entirely impossible.

  A person who could cause such a huge uproar in the Great Tang royal court couldn't be analyzed from the perspective of an ordinary man. He might be young, but he wasn't a person who should be gauged by his age anymore. No matter what he did at this point, it didn't seem impossible anymore.

  The entire room plunged into silence.

  Be it King Sosurim or the six Goguryeon assassins, none of them spoke a single word. The news they had just received was significant.

  Ever since the fall of the Fang of the White Tiger more than a dozen years ago, they had never met with such a formidable opponent in the capital. And the only difference between him and the Fang of the White Tiger was that the Fang of the White Tiger failed.

  The young man named Wang Chong was only in his teens, and yet he had already given them two lethal blows and a death toll of more than seven hundred men.

  Compared to the Fang of the White Tiger back then, Wang Chong looked far more dangerous.

  To both the Goguryeon empire and the spies stationed in the capital, this wasn't good news.

  Everyone knew what this meant.

  That Wang Chong must be eliminated at all cost, or else he would pose a huge threat to Goguryeo in the future!

  "Have you checked the final base? Is it safe? Are there suspicious men loitering in the area?"

  After a long period of time, it was King Sosurim who first broke the silence. His tone was contemplative and reeked of schemes.